When Carrie Fisher adorned the iconic golden bikini as Princess Leia in Stars Wars: Return Of The Jedi, she did not know the kind of phenomenon it would become. Despite the moment being a part of pop culture today, Fisher had often expressed that she hated the outfit. While talking about the famous scene in Star Wars, Fisher recalled to NPR,
“…When (director George Lucas) showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous. I had to sit very straight because I couldn't have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight…I hated wearing that outfit.”
For decades the Star Wars scene would be discussed, dissected and debated. But for Fisher, it remained an uncomfortable memory. The ‘Slave Leia’s’ bikini, created by Richard Miller, even fetched an astounding $175,000 during an auction in 2015 hosted by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
Carrie Fisher has appeared as Princess Leia in the Star Wars Franchise in:
- Episode IV – A New Hope
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Jabba the Hutt and Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi
Jabba (Larry Ward), a slug-like crime lord who rules the Hutt species, had frozen Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in carbonite. Leia would disguise herself as a bounty hunter and enters Jabba’s den to rescue Han. Leia gets trapped by Jabba and his people during the process. The Millennium Falcon crew including Han, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Chewie meet Jabba where they find Leia is enslaved and chained to him in the golden bikini costume. Fisher recalled,
“When we first rehearsed it, (Han (Ford) and Luke (Mark Hamill) are) brought in front of Jabba. They talk to Jabba, Jabba talks to Harrison and Mark, and then they're led off. They never say, "Hey, how are you?" So as they were being led off, I said, in the rehearsal, "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! Seriously!" which I thought they should've kept in there."
She continued,
“It was like, "Where am I in all of this?" ... I have to stay with the slug with the big tongue! Nearly naked, which is not a style choice for me. ... It wasn't my choice….What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable. ... I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn't wait to kill him.”
Princess Leia’s golden bikini has gone on to become one of the more iconic costumes in Hollywood history. From comic cons to various television shows, the outfit would make appearances frequently.
Legendry actress Carrie Fisher died in 2016 at the age of 60. Even today her name remains as one of the more integral parts of Star Wars history.
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